It took awhile but we got there. The original roof comprised of old rustic tiles on the street side and more substantial 'mechanical' tiles on the garden side. It wasn't ideal and was starting to let in the rain. Before we did any internal work, such as plaster boarding or laying wooden floors, we wanted to make sure that the roof was weather tight. A new roof gave us the opportuntiy, not only to do that, but also to add a few other things as well, such as velux windows and a dormer window. We were also determined to make sure the roofers laid a waterproof membrane before tiling the roof. In the UK felt (or roofing membrane) is laid as a matter of course, but this has been slow in catching on in france. We are noticing it being used, more and more, in new-builds. Anyway, before we could give the go-ahead for the roof we had to obtain planning permission for the veluxes and the dormer. At the same time we applied for permission to replace the window - right side when looking at the house - with a door, and also to knock through a window on the gable side facing the garden (i.e. not the bread oven side). The details of the planning application are at the bottom of this page for any geeks out there.

Normally when a house is being renovated or improved in France you are required to apply for either a Permis de Construire or a Déclaration Préalable. If the work involves a significant change from its existing state, such as converting a former agricultural building, such as our present home, into residential, a Permis de Construire would be required. In that instance we also needed a Certificate d'Urbanisme, which is an agreement in principle for conversion of an agricultural building into a residential one. We would require the same permissions if we were to convert either of the barns in Les Morins.In order to change certain aspects of the house in Les Morins, however, we only needed a Déclaration Préalable

Déclaration Préalable is a detailed form which can be filled in online and printed. It asks the usual stuff about the house details and your plans for any additions. The most challenging aspect of the application is the supplementary documents which are requested. There are two in all, ranging from a town plan of the location (Cadastre) - with the plot highlighted, to a 'before and after' mock up of the proposed work. I've listed them with examples below.

This is a ground plan of the house and area, which is known as a Cadastre, with the house highlighted.

Before and after plans of the building façades and roofing, beginning with the gable ends.